Pre-workout snacks/meals

[prasantrin]

I was going to add this to the Weight Watchers topic, but I thought it might be better suited for the masses.

For those of you who workout, what do you eat before you workout? Do you have a favourite power snack? And how far in advance of working out do you eat? Does it depend on whether you are doing cardio or weights?

And what about post workout snacks/meals? Any preferences there?

I remember reading the stuff SobaAddict ate during his foodblog, but no whey drink suggestions, please!

[weinoo]

I like peanut butter on finn crisps, an ounce of nuts, or a hard-boiled egg - something with some protein in it. If I just have an apple, an orange, a banana I come crashing down during during my workout...usually I'll give it at least 1/2 hour before I run....less if I'm doing weights.

[SobaAddict70]

Ideally you should have something with a moderate amount of protein and some sort of carbs to provide you with energy during your workout.

Something like a bowl of oatmeal would probably fit the bill, maybe some 2% cottage cheese. If you don't like whey drinks, you can always try a protein smoothie.

By the way, the whey blend I use is a mix of casein, egg and whey, which probably accounts for its drinkability, among other things. Pure whey with a little dextrose is just blah.

For post-workout, a protein shake works for me, along with some carbs. Ideally this should be as soon as or as close to the session as possible; certainly no later than a half hour past. Drinking your calories is a lot better (in my opinion and experience) than eating. If shakes aren't your thing, low fat cheese and crackers along with some fruit could fit the bill, or perhaps some yogurt. The important thing is that you want to immediately ingest something that will nourish your muscles due to the effort you just put them through.

If you're going to use creatine, your post-workout meal is when you would use it, not before. [This assumes you're in your maintenance phase and not the loading phase.]

[Susan in FL]

I'm not as serious about what I eat before or after, nor as serious as SobaAddict and others about the kind of workouts I do! I'm sure I'm outclassed by most of you, but for what it's worth, for routine workouts, I usually just make sure I'm not on a totally empty stomach. The exception to that is when I walk or run first thing in the morning.

Before more heavy-duty workouts, I eat some extra carbs. More important for me than what I eat is that I'm well hydrated. It's not hot in FL right now, but most times of the year it is, and afterwards I crave water and a cold fresh orange more than anything.

If I'm running a race, I carbo-load the night before (the traditional pasta party, either with a crowd of runners or just the two of us at home) and I drink beer afterwards.

I just did get back from my run/walk, so this was timely... I walked into the house and directly to the fridge and poured myself a glass of bubbly, which I am sipping on now.

[munchymom]

I work out first thing in the morning (1 hour on elliptical machine) and don't eat anything first. I do consume a half-liter bottle of water during the workout, and another immediately following. I don't usually feel ready to eat until at least an hour post-workout. At that point I eat something with both protein and carbs, like peanut butter on toast, or an Egg Beater omelette with cheese and a piece of toast.

[bavila]

Today was yoga, so I didn't have to worry too much about the whole jumping-up-and-down-icky-tummy-or-cramps. Breakfast was about 7 -- coffee, cottage cheese and raspberries. Pre-workout snack was 9 or 9:30 -- carrots, celery, and peanut butter. Yoga 10:30-12, post-workout snack was a small gala apple and some cashews. (By the way, I pray that I never have a child who's allergic to nuts. They are such a staple at our house!) Lunch was 1:30 -- tossed greens with turkey, cheddar, and sunflower seeds.

On days when I don't think timing will work well for me to have a snack between breakfast and workout, I opt for eggs or something more substantial.

Hydrating all the way, a bit at a time. When I was pregnant with my 5mo son, I started drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning, before coffee. This seems to be a good practice.

So I guess the basic idea is some combination of protein and complex carbs, and it doesn't have to be a lot. My pre-workout snack was just 2 celery sticks, 2 carrot sticks and a tablespoon or so of pb.

I'm wary of the protein shakes sold at my gym. The flavorings are pretty sugary. They're also expensive -- $3 or $4 each. I consider them an almost-meal replacement.

[torakris]

I don't do really heavy workouts and if I eat anything before it is usually a banana, not for any particular reason though.

After workouts I actually get cravings for certain foods, after a pilates workout I seem to crave cheddar cheese and after basketball practice I can't go to sleep until I have eaten a hard boiled egg.

[jsolomon]

I have several answers to your question, but I've got to have some answers to questions first.

What is your workout intended for? Is it weight-loss? Increasing fitness? Maintaining fitness?

What is your general workout scheme?

Different goals can benefit from different nutrition. Although generally, I would suggest simple, high water, low-glycemic, low protein, low bulk food before the workout. Then go for your protein, fat, and fiber after--to help rebuild.

Then again, I've been known to fuel for long runs with beer. Your mileage may vary.

[prasantrin]

I got off to a late start (again) and have just had half a slice of pumpernickel with peanut butter. The gym opens at 9, and I prefer to be there at opening to avoid the masses (it's a very busy gym).

That's actually one of my problems. I usually get off to a late start, and can't really eat enough to make sure I have enough energy for my work-out, but need to eat something or I'll have absolutely no energy. I also need something very digestible, so I don't feel like I've got a rock sitting in my stomach during my workouts.

I've done the cracker/peanut butter thing ad nauseum (and I hate peanut butter!!). Cottage cheese is more palatable--would eating it with fruit make it a good protein/carb combination?

I'm not a serious exerciser. In fact, I just started exercising again after an almost 10-month hiatus. I'm starting again with easy weights (I still lift to failure, but I only do 2 sets of 12 so my weights are pretty light. I do this 3 times/week. As for cardio, I seem to have lost a great deal of my endurance in that department. I'm starting out very slowly--just 25 minutes on the elliptical machine, about 11km/hour.

I'm not intending on entering any marathons, body-building competitions, etc. I just need to become fitter than the all-round "fair to good" I got on my fitness assessment last summer. At that time I also learned that I have more muscle than average for someone my height and weight, but I also have a lot more fat than average. I don't really need to gain more muscle (but don't mind if I do), but if I can manage to lose some body-fat with my new exercise program, yay for me! (I know I'll need to adjust my eating habits for that, but one step at a time!)

As for today, would a large cream puff filled with custard cream be a good carb/protein combo for a post-workout snack? I'm going out for lunch, and it'll be about an hour before I can get real food. But there's a Beard Papa stand at the train station....

[redglass]

I've been told by my gym rat roommate that the closer to your workout, the more simple the carbs should be, so that your body can use them immediately for energy for the workout. So, if you want something right before you workout, OJ or a banana would be a good choice. The more in advance of your workout, you could do more complex carbs- granola with yogurt, the aforementioned oatmeal, whole grain bread with topping of choice. Protein is for after your workouts to help with muscle recovery.

[lia]

If i'm hungry before my workout, I get a Jamba and drink it during. More typically I get one right after. Current favorites are the Matchas.

[reverendtmac]

The schedule the rest of my life follows doesn't always allow me to have great eating habits pre-workout; I kinda end up in the gym when I can smash it in. Today, however, is a day off - so I can have two slices of multigrain with crunchy peanut butter about an hour before I go. The workout's pretty typical for a serious (tour-level) golfer - 20-30 minutes of cardio and stretching followed by 1.5 hours of lifting, 3 times a week. Couple extra cardio sessions are usually in there, as well. Post-workout is usually a bowl of Vector (very much like Total down the states) with skim milk and a scoop of protein powder.

If I'm just hitting balls, however, I'll probably just grab a coffee and hydrate well throughout. Hopefully I'll time it to match up with a "regular" meal afterwards, either lunch or dinner...

[Timh]

I have a cup of tea/honey in the morning before I start my routine. I have eaten something before a workout, but prefer to move on an empty stomach. Water is always consumed before, during , and after. In my experience, consumming high energy suppliments before a workout leads to an energy crash afterwards. That would seem to just facilitate a cycle of supplements to maintain high energy.

[FabulousFoodBabe]

As for today, would a large cream puff filled with custard cream be a good carb/protein combo for a post-workout snack?  I'm going out for lunch, and it'll be about an hour before I can get real food.  But there's a Beard Papa stand at the train station....

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I like the way you think.

First -- 25 minutes on an elliptical is a pretty good start! I find that I'm more likely to hit the wall on the elliptical than when I'm walking.

My husband, who is a fiend about his workouts, eats nothing before them. When he was doing triathlons and marathons, though, he had to time what he ate and when.

I'm more normal in my workouts. For the a.m., it's got to be something like oatmeal with fruit and milk an hour or so before, if I"m not doing peanut butter on a waffle (but I know from health issues that my blood sugar is highest in the a.m., so it works). For the p.m., I've got to have something more substantial an hour or so before. Tuna fish with cottage cheese and some herbs is really good, and doens't sit too long, if you know what i mean.

[jsolomon]

I got off to a late start (again) and have just had half a slice of pumpernickel with peanut butter.  The gym opens at 9, and I prefer to be there at opening to avoid the masses (it's a very busy gym). 

I'm not intending on entering any marathons, body-building competitions, etc.  I just need to become fitter than the all-round "fair to good" I got on my fitness assessment last summer.  At that time I also learned that I have more muscle than average for someone my height and weight, but I also have a lot more fat than average.  I don't really need to gain more muscle (but don't mind if I do), but if I can manage to lose some body-fat with my new exercise program, yay for me!  (I know I'll need to adjust my eating habits for that, but one step at a time!)

As for today, would a large cream puff filled with custard cream be a good carb/protein combo for a post-workout snack?  I'm going out for lunch, and it'll be about an hour before I can get real food.  But there's a Beard Papa stand at the train station....

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For the recommendations, I would steer you toward a piece or two of fresh fruit and a handful of GORP--yes, good olde raisins and peanuts. Protein, salt, simple yet low-glycemic sugars, and good for taking the edge off of hunger because it is a bulky food.

For the large cream puff? Eah, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Although, if you're wanting to lose fat, I would suggest lower weight, more reps, and more sets.

[Timh]

There really is no magic pill for losing weight. Its but a very simple ratio: Burn more calories than you take in. Thats it. All of the fad diets are just that, fad diets, that are not meant to last. just burn more calories than you take in and one can eat what they want.

[Tess]

There really is no magic pill for losing weight. Its but a very simple ratio: Burn more calories than you take in. Thats it. All of the fad diets are just that, fad diets, that are not meant to last.  just burn more calories than you take in and one can eat what they want.

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That always sounds so logical, but after losing a decent amount of weight on Weight Watchers (which is about the opposite of a fad diet) I find that I have to continually think of little ways into tricking my body into being satisfied with just enough food to lose weight over a period of time without the weight loss stalling or my energy flagging to the point where it's really hard to work-- or just getting so hungry that I go nuts and start eating everything. This has to do with a balance of foods, what and when I eat, and I am always seeking and benefiting from advice from other people. And, there are indeed certain foods I have to stay away from most of the time (like high sugar during the day because it makes me hungrier later).

To answer the original question: I try to time things so I work out when I haven't eaten for a while but and not yet hungry. That seems to be my optimum for having a good workout. If I don't manage that and I am too hungry to go forward with the workout, I am definitely in the camp of eating an orange, a banana or similar. That seems to give the quickest energy bang for the buck without slowing me down or making me a lot hungrier afterwards.

[Fengyi]

When I used to row (not at university standard, but enough to be all too familiar with the sight of a misty river at dawn with the swans still asleep on the bank), I found a good pre-workout food in blending a banana with a smidge of yoghurt and some skimmed milk. Enough to keep going (I was never a 'row on an empty stomach' person) and to give energy, but it didn't require chewing- always a plus for early mornings -and I could exercise basically straight after drinking it.

Actually, now that I work out at a more civillized hour, I still use this as my pre-workout breakfast!

[gini]

I'm pretty sure it all depends on your body. I run every morning at 6am. I'd have to get up at 4 if I wanted to eat and let it settle in my body. Not going to happen. So I just don't eat beforehand. Afterwards, I have some water. Then an hour or so later I have some breakfast. For longer runs, something more substantial - but those are on the weekend when I have more time. (And on those runs, I take a Twix bar with me for nourishment halfway through - you heard me - a Twix bar! )

Do what your body tells you to do. If you feel you need a snack to last you through your workout, granola and yogurt or GORP as previously mentioned are pretty good. A piece of fruit will probably go through your system too quickly, so I'd nix that idea. Any sort of trail mix - dried fruit and nut combination - would do you well here. I hear you on the peanut butter/cracker combo - have you tried other nut butters? Cashew and almond rank pretty well in our house. Also, pumpkin or apple butter on a piece of bread seems to make people pretty happy.

Good luck working out!

[SobaAddict70]

There really is no magic pill for losing weight. Its but a very simple ratio: Burn more calories than you take in. Thats it. All of the fad diets are just that, fad diets, that are not meant to last.  just burn more calories than you take in and one can eat what they want.

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I respectfully disagree.

I would say that losing weight is 90% diet and 10% exercise. Or as someone posted on another board I belong to:

Abs are made in the kitchen.

[Jenny McClure]

If I work out first thing in the morning, I do on an empty stomach. I have never had a problem with lack of energy. However if I go straight after work without anything since lunch ( I typically eat a good lunch) I run out of steam very quickly, especially jogging. What works for me is to have a small bowl of cereal and a cup of tea or coffee just before. Thisl makes the world of difference. I guess the caffeine gives me a boost.

[jsolomon]

If I work out first thing in the morning, I do on an empty stomach.  I have never had a problem with lack of energy.  However if I go straight after work without anything since lunch ( I typically eat a good lunch) I run out of steam very quickly, especially jogging.  What works for me is to have a small bowl of cereal and a cup of tea or coffee just before.  Thisl makes the world of difference.  I guess the caffeine gives me a boost.

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Flagging energy levels after work are usually caused by mild levels of dehydration. Try for several days to drink significantly more water at work and see how you tolerater exercise at the end of the day.

[gini]

There really is no magic pill for losing weight. Its but a very simple ratio: Burn more calories than you take in. Thats it. All of the fad diets are just that, fad diets, that are not meant to last.  just burn more calories than you take in and one can eat what they want.

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I respectfully disagree.

I would say that losing weight is 90% diet and 10% exercise. Or as someone posted on another board I belong to:

Abs are made in the kitchen.

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Actually, you're both saying the same thing. One of two things needs to happen to induce weight loss: 1) you eat the same amount as you normally do, but you burn more calories by working out or 2) you eat less than you normally do, but don't change your workout regime. The moral of the story is the same though: eat less than what you use.

A combination of both (in whatever percentage you choose) seems to work best though....

[SobaAddict70]

There really is no magic pill for losing weight. Its but a very simple ratio: Burn more calories than you take in. Thats it. All of the fad diets are just that, fad diets, that are not meant to last.  just burn more calories than you take in and one can eat what they want.

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I respectfully disagree.

I would say that losing weight is 90% diet and 10% exercise. Or as someone posted on another board I belong to:

Abs are made in the kitchen.

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Actually, you're both saying the same thing. One of two things needs to happen to induce weight loss: 1) you eat the same amount as you normally do, but you burn more calories by working out or 2) you eat less than you normally do, but don't change your workout regime. The moral of the story is the same though: eat less than what you use.

A combination of both (in whatever percentage you choose) seems to work best though....

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Not quite the same thing, at least with respect to my experience.

I don't know about other people, but I can say that I changed my caloric consumption drastically in addition to reducing my exercise output (from 3-4x a week with cardio to 1-2 full body workouts a week with minimal to practically no cardio). Net result was that I dropped 20 lbs. in seven weeks over the course of two diet cycles. Each cycle lasted three weeks, with approximately a week off in between.

You could probably say it's closer to option #2 ("you eat less than you normally do", etc.), though I'd say that's an oversimplification.

I also take issue with the statement

just burn more calories than you take in and one can eat what they want.

Not all diets are created equal. I certainly couldn't eat what I wanted, not at a mere 1200 calories a day.

Anyway, prasantrin, I hope I haven't scared you off too much. Do keep us apprised of your progress!

[jsolomon]

Not all diets are created equal.  I certainly couldn't eat what I wanted, not at a mere 1200 calories a day. 

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That's not a diet; that's a death sentence!

Even when I'm restricting my calories, it's a rare day to see me under 3000...